Cold Lord's Fall: Awakening
Shade, after his Jinzen training, opted to once again wash the blood off of his flesh. As always, he chose a pure black ensamble, and a design on his treanch coat dipicting a demon and angel, side by side, and yet the two were not looking at one another. "I don't know what I've got, but hopefully it will be enough to kill Inori." he said as he walked out of his room. "Well we'll have to see." Ray says as he drew his sword and stood at the ready."Well whenever your ready let's begin." "Fine. Reveal to us your light, Shinjitsu Zai-no." With the release, Shade allowed his eyes to turn blue giving him a unique look. Because of the cold air, he knew his powers had improved greatly. "Ice Spire." he wispered, creating a large shard filled with liquid mitrogen. The shard froze even his own skin. "Hope you can dodge this one." he tossed the large chunk at Ray. Ray moved his head and shard exploaded causing the liquid nitrogen to splash on his back."Not bad, it's powerful enough to even make me freeze if you hit me but now let's see how you stand against my shikai" Ray said charging his energy into his sword. "Roar and split Yukkan Raion." Shade created a ice wall, behind which, he was safe from most damage. He created another large shard and waited. Ray decided to see how he would react to the same attack this time, he stabbed one sword into the ground as the ground started cracking and heading towards him then the spikes came out while Ray charged his other sword with black energy. Feeling the tremors in the earth, Shade jumped the spikes, but dropped his shard. "Crap in a bucket." But he created many smaller shards, just like he used to. Tossing the shards in ll directions provided him absolute cover. Ray could never pass through the ring of ice. Ray pulled his first sword out of the ground then stabbed the second one as it created a wall of black energy. Shade landed from his jump, just inside the wall. He was safe, unless Ray could get in, which he highly doubted. When he heard his shards impact, his insticts told him he had won, but his logic said otherwise. To best prepare for another attack, Shade created a second wall behind him, leaving only two openings, above and below. "You still alive?" he called from behind his wall. Ray smiled at the question of Shade then he focused the wall of black energy back into his blades and jumped into the air, then he swings the blade around himself and five black lions appeared and charged forward towards Shade. "F@(k. My open spot." Shade trapped himself for control of the X and Z axis, leaving the Y open.'' I'm a fool. I left my opening avalible to attack.'' He was trapped, no way to escape. The lions came in contact. "Sh!t." was what he said as th smoke cleared. Ray sighed and stopped" You need to remember not to leave your defense open, I know you can do it come on focus." He says waitng for Shade to make the next move. "Sorry, but my powers have limits, and the fact, I've only had them for a month or two, so yeah, still adjusting." Shade quiped as he fired a Spire at Ray. This time, he added a spin, making the impact hurt all the more. Ray put his swords in a x-formation and blocked the spear but was actually struggling against it but then he sliced and cut the spear into two pieces but then noticed that his swords were actually starting to freeze. "Ah. Liquid nitrogen. Leathel on its own, but add my power, and there will be only the ice sculpture of my foes." Shade gloated. "Let's see Inori's God stop me now." He was getting stronger, but as the saying goes, pride before the fall. There was a lesson Shade needed to learn, true humility. Ray could be the one to teach him it. Ray looked at him and decided to show him, he charged forward and attacked as Shade kept blocking then Ray shunpo'd up and concentrated his energy orbs into his hands and released a way more powerful blast than before. Shade's Kogeru allowed him to dodge the main blast, but the shockwave from it still sent him sailing into a wall."Hm. That would have hurt more if it hit.." he said as he pulled his body out of the wall. "Sin is the only path to light." Shade's body underwent the demonic change. He stood there and only said one word, the deadliest he knows. "Chill." But there was something different. The temperture dropped even more, actually creating ice particles in the air, rubbing any exposed flesh, in exccess of the old breathing problem. Ray was actually starting to freeze all over his body and knew that he had to do something quickly before he was frozen then he focused his energy and he said the most favorite of his words."Bankai!" The ice broke off and this time the atmospher atctually started to change because of the extreamly high level of spirit energy Ray was producing. "Crap. He completely out did Chill, just by releasing. This could be bad." Shade wispered, as he readied his Ice Spire attack. After he threw the weapon, he created a fog to hide in. All he had to do, was touch Ray, then the game would be his. "My final attack...what can it do?" This time Ray decided to finish this battle to show Shade the truth, instinctively he focused all half of his energy into his left eye and used his dreaded 'Raion Hidarime. '''As the energy went forward all the ice, fog, and his energy were supressed and shut down. "What!? No one should be able to affect my Hell Blade. What did you do?" Shade asked, insainly. "Let me guess, a power that shuts down my zanpakto? I bet if Inori released, you couldn't seal him." Ray then went for the attack. ''Speed and regernerative power, that's all I have left. This power...If it could seal my ice powers, then Arrancar would suffer as well, seeing as demons are Arrancar. Shade thought, afraid to deal to fast. I need a 21 to win, come on fate. Deal a Blackjack. Ray stopped right when his claws reached his neck and then released his bankai as he went back into his normal form, he put his sword back into his sheath and turned away."Let this be a lesson, you're overcofidence will get you killed if you don't stop messing around and take this training seriously."'' Ray said as he shunpo'd out of there. Living Shade alone with his thoughts. "..." Shade stood still. Was he that weak, or did he lack something else. His mind spun, attempting to find the answer. Loran walked in, to see a destroyed house. "What happened? Shade. you ok?" But then she saw the Ice Lord just standing there, not moving at all. "Shade? Was it Inori?" "No. I did it. Me and Ray were training again. He beat me with just a glance. If I couldn't do anything to him, how can I fight Inori?" Secretly Ray was outside listening in. No one had even noticed him. Shade let his Hell based form fall away, like smoke. He finally learned what he needed, but was blind to it's meaning. He was wise, but foolish, lacking humility, His speed and mind created a prideful beast. He was becoming his least favorite Cardinal. It was ironic that his desire to protect is family had warped him further.Even his own power was beyond his ken. The next morning Ray was outside meditating in the front yard like any normal morning then he heard footsteps and felt his friend's energy behind him. "Hey. Sorry but what did you mean when you said there was a lesson in yesterday's training? I can't figure it out." He needed to learn what it was, to realize who he was. His demonic powers had blinded him to the truth. "To realize something, even if you get new powers it won't make a diffrence if your mind doesn't grow powerful either", Ray said getting up and looking into the city distance. "I still don't understand. Those with power rule those without it. Why is my case any different?" Even his mind had limits. Shade knew the darkness would empower him, but it amplified his greatest sins, pride, and greed. He needed help to overcome them, but he felt he could alone. What he refused to see, was his friends were there for him, again playing into the hands of the devil's grip. "You lack true desire for why you wanted this power, all i can teach you is to control it but You must discover the meaning of true power yourself" He says as he kept looking into the distance remembering that he was like Shade when he was young. "The only reason I want power, is to defend my family. Nothing I did was for personal gain. But Inori's return threw off that goal. I'm not sure of who I am anymore. I was just a Shingami, but life spun a web, leading me ever deeper into a trap, known as arrogence. I know know what I need. But i can't see any light left in my soul. How long I wished for understanding, but it was there this whole time. Thank you Ray." Shade said as he walked inside to get coffee. "There is light for you Shade, you're family and your lover live well and prosper. Maybe you're destiny will be much more fortunate than mine." Ray smiled as he sat back down and continued meditating. The realization of his true reason for fighting comforted the demon, but fear would always linger inside. Could he live, knowing what he had done? No one blamed him for a murder, and what he was about to face would test his resolve. : ''Next story: Final Showdown: Inori and Shade Who Sit's Atop the Throne?